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Chris Lynn cashes in with 113* as Northants crush Worcestershire

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Second hundred of Blast for Australian, before Josh Cobb takes 5 for 25 with offbreaks

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2022Chris Lynn continued his purple patch with another unbeaten century as Northamptonshire Steelbacks cruised past Worcestershire Rapids by 73 runs to climb to second in the Vitality Blast North Group.The Steelbacks opener struck 113 not out from 57 balls, despite batting with a runner for part of his innings, to equal his highest score in T20 cricket and set up Northamptonshire’s third straight victory. It was a second Blast hundred for Lynn, who averages almost 95 in the tournament so far, and his second-wicket stand of 115 from 62 with skipper Josh Cobb laid the foundations for their side’s winning total of 220 for 3 at Wantage Road.Worcestershire, who have now lost six of their seven matches, never looked like getting close and subsided tamely to 147 all out, with Cobb claiming career-best figures of 5 for 25.Rapids handed a T20 debut to Jacques Banton – younger brother of Tom – and also entrusted the left-arm spinner with the new ball, a move that brought instant rewards as Ben Curran reverse-swept his third delivery into the hands of backward point.Aside from two isolated sixes off Dillon Pennington, Lynn looked relatively sedate at the other end and initially it was Cobb, hitting over the leg-side infield, who brought impetus to the Steelbacks’ innings. But Lynn began to get into his stride after the powerplay, with Pennington taking the brunt of the assault as the Australian dispatched two colossal maximums over midwicket to bring up his half-century from 25 balls.Cobb was just two deliveries slower to that landmark – his second successive 50 – but the captain got no further, drilling Dwayne Bravo to long-off, where Moeen Ali stretched to take the catch above his head.Despite being hampered by a niggle that meant Curran returned to act as his runner, Lynn continued unabated, clattering Ed Barnard for three consecutive sixes and advancing to his hundred. The shrewd Bravo, with figures of 2 for 15, was the only bowler to establish any kind of control as Saif Zaib and Jimmy Neesham, with an unbeaten 24 from 11 balls, steered Northamptonshire beyond 200.The visitors immediately sank into trouble when they replied, with Jake Libby patting the second delivery of the innings straight to square leg before Tom Taylor ripped out Moeen’s middle stump. Taylor had Colin Munro caught behind two balls later to leave Worcestershire teetering at 16 for 3, but Jack Haynes launched a brief bid to rescue the situation single-handedly, with some clean hitting producing a string of boundaries.Once Haynes had holed out to long-off for 33, Rapids continued to crumble, with Cobb’s offbreaks accounting for five wickets, including those of Ben Cox and Banton in successive balls.Barnard prolonged the visitors’ resistance with a defiant 42 from 29 before he was the last man to depart, caught by Freddie Heldreich at backward square with 20 balls unused.

Sri Lanka seal the series 2-1 as Zimbabwe crumble to 70 all out

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Vandersay picks up 4 for 10 in 7.4 overs as hosts bowlers run rampant

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jan-2022Sri Lanka’s bowlers ran rampant in the early overs of Zimbabwe’s chase reducing the opposition to 20 for 3, then 31 for 5, and eventually 70 all out, decimating their hopes of chasing down 255 and claiming a series victory.Dushmantha Chameera blasted out the first two wickets, before the spinners claimed the limelight – Maheesh Theekshana squeezing one between Sean Williams’ bat and pad, Jeffrey Vandersay taking four of his own, before Ramesh Mendis also took two. Somewhere in that cascade of wickets, seamer Chamika Karunaratne struck too, to remove the dangerous Sikandar Raza.After 15 overs, Zimbabwe were 37 for 5, the required rate had crept above six, and the chase was essentially buried. Ryan Burl and Tendai Chatara fought briefly to put up 18 for the ninth wicket – the best stand of the innings. But it was all over by the 25th over, with Vandersay scything through the lower order.The collapse was particularly disappointing for Zimbabwe, because their attack had operated with such discipline to keep Sri Lanka to a manageable total. Where Zimbabwe’s own batters had put up totals in the 300 range batting first in the two previous matches, Sri Lanka lurched only to 254 for 9, with each of their top eight getting to double-figures, but only Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka managing half-centuries.Zimbabwe’s had been a collective bowling effort. Richard Ngarava claimed 2 for 46 from his nine overs while Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza, Ryan Burl, and Sean Williams all claimed one wicket apiece. Aside from an 80-run opening stand between Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, Zimbabwe never let another pair prosper for long, the next-best partnership coming much later in the innings, when Karunaratne and Ramesh Mendis put on 48 together.It was Chameera who precipitated Zimbabwe’s rapid downfall, in the third over. He bowled a shortish ball outside off stump to right-hander Regis Chakabva, who edged it to slip. Then, next ball, he angled one across captain Ervine, who nicked it to the keeper. When Theekshana sent a straighter one through Williams’ defences in the eighth over, Zimbabwe had lost their three best top-order batters in the series.Pathum Nissanka struck his second successive ODI half-century•AFP/Getty Images

After the first powerplay, Kaitano was given out stumped off the bowling of Vandersay, although the evidence that his back foot was in the air when keeper Kusal Mendis took the bails off did not seem totally conclusive. Next over, Raza spooned a catch to cover, and all of Zimbabwe’s serious batting hopes had departed.Vandersay then took three of the five remaining wickets, and Ramesh Mendis claimed the other two. There was no substantial turn in the pitch – Sri Lanka were menacing, but not unplayable. Zimbabwe will feel they let themselves down.In the first innings, Sri Lanka had begun steadily with the bat – Nissanka and Kusal Mendis hitting only five boundaries in the powerplay, as they strode to 43 for 0 in ten overs. As has been the case right through the series, Zimbabwe’s quicks were disciplined and sharp, though they didn’t find the early wickets they had managed in the first two games.Perhaps sensing that he needed to raise the tempo if Sri Lanka were to near the 300 mark, Kusal Mendis was the first to depart, lofting the left-arm spin of Masakadza to long off. He was out for 36 off 51 balls. Nissanka brought up his second successive half-century of the series with a four through backward point, but was run out not long after that, thanks to an excellent direct hit from Zimbabwe’s substitute fielder.Asalanka struck a four through third man first ball, and provided Sri Lanka’s main thrust of the middle overs even as wickets fell around him. He was strong square of the wicket as usual, and hit five fours in his 56-ball 52. It was his second fifty of the series.Sri Lanka’s 2-1 victory pushes them up to fourth in the ODI Super League table, though they have played 18 out of their 24 games, and all other sides aside from Ireland (also 18) have played fewer. Zimbabwe are down at No. 11, on 35 points after 12 games. Only teams finishing in the top eight, effectively, gain direct qualification to next year’s ODI World Cup.

Tom Moody: Temba Bavuma the 'elephant in the room' for South Africa

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The South African captain scored just 70 runs in five innings in this World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-20222:36

Moody: Regardless of captaincy, Bavuma shouldn’t be in this format

Temba Bavuma’s poor form is “the elephant in the room” for South Africa, according to Tom Moody, after they crashed out of the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup with a shock defeat to Netherlands.”Without a doubt. That’s [Bavuma’s form] the elephant in the room. There’s better form players for this format sitting on the bench that should be playing on that side,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out show. “That will be a discussion, that has to be a discussion in South Africa’s review because you cannot afford to carry key personnel. Particularly at the top of the order. That is the critical point.”Related

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  • Shock defeat ends South Africa's World Cup as Netherlands script famous win

In 33 T20Is, Bavuma has scored 635 runs at an average of 22.67 and strike rate of 116.08. His form had been under scrutiny in the lead up to this World Cup, and in this tournament he scored only 70 runs in five innings as an opener at a strike rate of 112.90. Bavuma scored a run-a-ball 20 in South Africa’s must-win game against Netherlands.Moody went on to compare Bavuma’s situation with that of Australia and Aaron Finch.”They [Australia] had a similar issue. Once you have one wheel that’s not spinning like it should be spinning, it affects the direction you all go as a unit. That’s what was happening with South Africa. The rest were sort of covering up for a clear deficiency up top.”We totally respect their situation and what they’re achieving and you have to admire everything that’s happening. But there’s another way you can make up to be more effective with what’s happening at the top of the order.”Former India batter Robin Uthappa agreed with Moody’s assessment. “Knowing Temba as a human being, I know that he’ll be reviewing his own career in T20 cricket very, very seriously after this,” Uthappa said. “Because he is a high-quality Test batsman. Very accomplished Test batter. So he’ll probably have a very hard look at his career and which direction it moves forward. And so will South Africa.”Temba Bavuma is bowled by Paul van Meekeren•AFP/Getty Images

Moody and Uthappa said South Africa’s defeat to Netherlands was their biggest stumble – and there have been several in the past – in a big tournament.”South Africa have only themselves to blame. It was all to play for. Even if you look at the last two overs of the first innings, they [Netherlands] were 127/4 before they got up to their eventual score,” Uthappa said.Netherlands hit 31 off the final two overs to finish on 158.”Even that was achievable,” Uthappa said. “All you had to do was bat sensibly, have wickets at the top in the back 10 irrespective of any situation. You want your main batters batting at the end. There was no proper batter for South Africa in the last four overs which is why they find themselves short.”Moody was critical of South Africa’s bowling performance after they had won the toss in Adelaide. “At the end of the day, the way South Africa went about their business today, they’ve only got themselves to blame. They bowled poorly. They didn’t assess the conditions with the ball. They didn’t take advantage of a surface that was clearly wearing a little bit and just holding a bit. And the discipline obviously at the back end, with the ball.”And their batsmen got in. A lot of their batsmen got in, they got starts. But who’s going to put their hand up? No one put their hand up after getting those important starts,” Moody said. “We’ve seen it before with South Africa, but I think this is probably going to take first place with regards to their stumbles in these events.”South Africa have often been called “chokers” for losing key matches from winning positions in big tournaments. “You can’t blame them for everyone calling them chokers because they’ve done this to themselves in this situation,” Uthappa said. “When we’ve all believed and all felt that they have come past that situation, come a big stage, they have done the same thing all over again.”Moody said this defeat was worse than their exit from the 1999 ODI World Cup. “There’s no other way to explain it [on the “chokers” tag]. I was involved in the 1999 World Cup against South Africa in that semi-final and even in the game before that, where Steve Waugh made an unbelievable hundred at Headingley. So that memory of that World Cup is so clear in my head and that was a major stumble from their point of view. I thought that was big. This is winning by a lap.”Uthappa said their batters did not play to potential, which would have been enough in this situation. “This is by far the worst. You just have to play to potential. All their batters have gotten off to starts. But not one of them put their hand up and completed the innings. Even if they played at just run-a-ball, exactly like Ben Stokes did last evening, if they had done that, they would have gone through.”

Deepak Chahar added to India's squad for last two T20Is against Australia

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Seamer last played for India in December 2022, and came in even as Mukesh Kumar was released for his marriage ahead of third T20I

Hemant Brar28-Nov-2023Deepak Chahar has been added to India’s squad for the last two matches of the five-match T20I series against Australia. Mukesh Kumar, meanwhile, was released ahead of the third game in Guwahati on Tuesday for his marriage. But he, too, will be joining the squad for the final two games.Chahar, who has been hampered by injuries over the last few years, last played for India, in an ODI, in December 2022. He had a good Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) Trophy recently for Rajasthan. There he picked up ten wickets in five games at an economy of 7.38. With the bat, he scored 67 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of 171.79.He has also started well in the ongoing 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. In two matches so far in the tournament, he hit an unbeaten 66 off 56 balls against Arunachal Pradesh, and also grabbed 6 for 41 against Gujarat.Given none of India’s first-choice fast bowlers are useful batters, Chahar’s return is good news in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in June. After the ongoing Australia series, India have six more T20Is and the IPL, before the World Cup is played in the West Indies and the USA.Mukesh was impressive in his two outings in the series. In the first T20I in Visakhapatnam, he conceded just 29 from his four overs even as Australia posted 208 for 3. In Thiruvananthapuram, he got rid of a dangerous-looking Marcus Stoinis.Both India and Australia have rested several of their T20I regulars for this series, which started just four days after the ODI World Cup. India currently lead the series 2-0.

Kohli on his two-month break from cricket: 'A surreal experience not to be recognised'

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“Just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it’s amazing.”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-20242:11

Moody: Kohli showed all his gears

Virat Kohli, after his match-winning 77 against Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, opened up about his two-month break when his wife Anushka Sharma gave birth to their second child. Kohli missed India’s home Test series against England as he and his family spent time away from the country.”We were not in the country. We were at a place where people were not recognising us. Just time together as a family, just to feel normal for two months,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “For me, for us as a family, it was a surreal experience.”Of course, having two kids, things become totally different from a family perspective. So just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it’s amazing.”I mean, I couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity that I got to spend time with my family.”Kohli spoke about how he enjoyed not being treated like a celebrity.”And yeah, just the place that we were in, I was telling the guys that when we came back, the voices back home felt that much louder,” he said. “I couldn’t look up because I was just not used to being called my name for two months. And then immediately you hear these loud noises and then you’re back in it all again.”But it was beautiful. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised and just carry on about life that normally people would on a daily basis,” he said.Kohli also spoke about the love he gets from the RCB fans, especially in Bengaluru, having played for the franchise since the inception of the IPL.”It’s been going on for years and you know, people talk about a lot of other things when you play sport. The achievements, the stats, the numbers. Look at the end of the day when you look back you’re not going to think of the numbers and the stats. It’s the memories that you create,” Kohli said, before citing the Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid. “Famously Rahul in the change room nowadays says exactly the same to us. When you play, you play your heart out because you’re going to miss these times when you’re with your friends in the change room playing in front of fans.”So the relationship that’s happened organically over so many years it’s something that I can never ever forget. Just the love and the appreciation and the backing I’ve received for so many years that’s been amazing.”Kohli, however, knows that he has to make changes to his game to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of T20 cricket.”Well I mean you have to [make additions to your game],” he said while speaking about stepping out to fast bowlers and hitting them over cover, as opposed to playing the grounded cover drive that he is so famous for.”People know I play the cover drive pretty well so they’re not going to allow me to hit gaps and with guys like KG [Kagiso Rabada] and Arshdeep [Singh] as well, he’s tall. So, I mean, if they’re hitting length, you have to create some momentum in the ball.”And once you’re closer to the ball, you kind of negate the bounce that’s going to happen. You meet it earlier.”So, I mean, you have to come up with a game plan here and there and try to keep improving your game,” Kohli said, before issuing a friendly reminder.”I know my name is nowadays quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. But, I’ve still got it, I guess.”

Paterson, Bavuma and Stubbs put SA in driver's seat

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Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 67 runs and face a 221-run deficit, which threatens to get out of hand

Firdose Moonda07-Dec-2024Stumps South Africa 358 and 191 for 3 (Markram 55, Bavuma 48*, Stubbs 36*, Jayasuriya 2-75) lead Sri Lanka 328 (Nissanka 89, Kamindu 48, Mathews 44, Chandimal 44, Paterson 5-71, Maharaj 2-65, Jansen 2-100) by 221 runsTemba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs shared an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 82 and South Africa pulled away from Sri Lanka on the third day at St George’s Park. They extended their lead to 221 after taking a slim 30-run advantage from the first innings, having bowling Sri Lanka out for 328 earlier in the day.South Africa’s strong performance came on the back of Dane Paterson’s first Test five-for and Aiden Markram half-century, which set up their second innings. Bavuma is two runs away from a fourth successive fifty-plus score in the series, in which he has already collected more than 300 runs. Despite not playing any competitive cricket for two months before this series as he recovered from an elbow injury, Bavuma is seeing the ball better than anyone else and has added a more aggressive style to his strokeplay.Related

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Ten wickets fell on the third day – the most in the Test so far – but conditions were still well suited to batting under blue skies. Sri Lanka’s seam attack still found some movement and there was also a hint of turn for Prabath Jayasuriya, which will likely please South Africa more than their visitors. With the surface expected to start deteriorating in dry conditions from day four, Keshav Maharaj could come into play later on. Before that, Sri Lanka will look for seven wickets with the knowledge that the highest successful chase at this ground is 271, and that South Africa are 50 runs away from that mark. But they will take heart from the glimpses of spin, especially as it has already brought some success.Sri Lanka’s first threat came through spin when Jayasuriya foxed Tony de Zorzi with one that curved through the bat-pad gap as he looked to drive and ended a 55-run first-wicket stand. De Zorzi’s series ended with a disappointing total of 40 runs from four innings, having come into it on the back of registering 177 in Bangladesh.Aiden Markram made 55 off 75 balls•Associated Press

Markram, his opening partner, fared better despite edging Asitha Fernando’s second delivery. The chance fell short of second slip. Markram looked increasingly confident as his innings grew but never fully comfortable. He approached fifty when he slashed at a short, wide Vishwa delivery and edged past gully for four and got there with a gorgeous cover drive which re-asserted his control. Importantly for him, it was his first fifty in 12 completed innings across formats. He only lasted six more balls before he edged a flashing cover drive off Vishwa and was caught one-handed by a diving Kusal Mendis, whose powers of anticipation were on full display.Ryan Rickelton started with the same watchfulness as his first innings but could not continue to another century. He missed a Jayasuriya ball that skidded on to hit him in front of middle stump and had to go for 24.Stubbs and Bavuma, who reunited after notching up second-innings hundreds in Durban, absorbed pressure for the next eight overs. Only 13 runs were scored. Sri Lanka reviewed an lbw shout against Stubbs off Asitha when Stubbs left a ball that seemed to be going down leg. Ball-tracking confirmed that that was the case. Bavuma edged Kumara through the vacant slip area for his first boundary but then he pulled Jayasuriya in front of square and launched him over long-off, both times for six. Stubbs, as expected, was the more adventurous partner and played his shots even as the day grew long. A moment of fortune favoured Stubbs in the third-last over of the day as he attempted a reverse scoop and bottom-edged it between Mendis and first slip.Tristan Stubbs wasn’t afraid of reverse scooping late in the day•Associated Press

Things went South Africa’s way almost from the get-go when Marco Jansen broke things open with the old ball in the 10th over of the morning. He got a delivery to kick up off the surface to a well-set Angelo Mathews, who gloved as he tried to fend it off. Kyle Verreynne took the catch in front of his face.After conceding just 24 runs in the first 13 overs of the day, South Africa took the new ball as soon as it became available and it brought immediate reward. Kamindu Mendis, who had earlier been put down by de Zorzi at short leg, nicked off third ball as Jansen got extra bounce. Jansen then rapped Kusal Mendis on the glove first up and could have had him out twice in the space of four overs.Kusal offered his first chance off the third ball he faced, when he was unsure about leaving a ball down leg and got bat on it. Verreynne had to dive full stretch to his left and got fingertips on it but will likely mark that down as a tough ask. The next opportunity was more straightforward. Kusal got a thick outside edge to first slip but Markam, at second, dived across David Bedingham and dropped it. Kusal then sent a healthy edge to the right of Stubbs at gully off Paterson, who took over from Jansen and would go on to have the last say.Dane Paterson took three wickets in the 89th over•AFP/Getty Images

After bowling two excellent spells on the second day, Paterson continued to find late movement and maintained tight lines, and he reaped the benefits. Dhananjaya de Silva edged the first ball of his second over, where matters hit fast-forward. Two balls later, Kusal left a delivery that nipped back into him and dislodged the bails, and two after that, Lahiru Kumara was stunningly caught by Jansen’s outstretched left hand at gully. Sri Lanka went from a reasonably comfortable 297 for 5 to 298 for 8, and South Africa were 60 runs ahead.Jayasuriya ate into that lead with three well-placed fours to drag the innings into the second session where Paterson continued in search of a five-for. He thought he had it when he hit Jayasuriya on the full on the pad and convinced Bavuma to review but ball-tracking returned an umpire’s call verdict on leg stump.In his next over, Paterson got a regulation dismissal when Vishwa Fernando edged him to Verreynne. A pumped-up Paterson brought out the baby-cradle celebration for his newborn child. Five balls later, Jayasuriya stepped far out of his crease to a tossed-up ball from Maharaj, and was stumped. Sri Lanka’s innings ended 25 minutes into the second session, with South Africa 30 runs in the lead.

Temba Bavuma: 'It is going to hurt, it should hurt'

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South Africa captain admitted they “dropped the ball” after Netherlands scored 245 after being 112 for 6 in the 27th over

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20231:44

How do South Africa move on from this loss?

Temba Bavuma has said South Africa should “feel the emotion of today” and question themselves as to where they are mentally after they suffered a shock 38-run defeat at the hands of Netherlands, their first loss of the 2023 World Cup.”You got to let the emotion kind of seep in,” Bavuma said at the post-match presentation. “Don’t think there is any point in trying to forget what’s happened. It is going to hurt, it should hurt.””But then you come back tomorrow, you wake up and we get back onto the journey. Our campaign is not over by any stretch of the imagination, but you got to feel the emotion of today and come back tomorrow with the head held up.”Related

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  • South Africa spooked as Dutch do the World Cup double

Coming into the game running hot on a five-game ODI winning streak, South Africa seemed uncharacteristically lax. They gave away 32 extras – 21 wides, one no-ball and 10 leg byes – as Netherlands recovered from 112 for 6 in the 27th over to post 245 for 8 in the rain-shortened 43-overs-a-side clash.This is the second time in the last 12 months that Netherlands have got the better of South Africa at an ICC event. They had earlier eliminated the South Africans from the 2022 T20 World Cup with a 13-run win. Bavuma said that it was not just with the ball that South Africa were off the boil, but also in the field.”The extras that’s something you can control. Getting 30 (32) extras, that is an extra five overs is always going to hurt you. That is a conversation for us to have – whether it is skill or a complacency thing – but at the end it did count for quite a thing,” he said.”We were clinical against Australia, but the challenge was always to come back and replicate that performance. The fielding wasn’t up to standard. Again if you look at the way we fielded against Australia compared to today, definitely not the same standard.”Those are conversations we need to have. The guys need to answer the questions themselves where mentally they were. That’s definitely not the standard we’d like to show from a fielding point of view.”Bavuma was effusive in praise of the Netherlands unit, who first came back in the game with half-centuries from Scott Edwards and useful cameos from Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt before picking wickets at regular intervals in the chase.”I think we got them to 112 for 6. From that point, you are probably not looking at anything more than 200. We definitely dropped the ball there letting them get to 240-plus,” Bavuma said. “With the batting, we were still confident in chasing down that score but we didn’t get any partnerships. Them with their double-spin in the powerplay, was something we did not adapt to. Kudos to them, the way they were able to exploit certain weaknesses within our game.”

Durham raise Bazball banner as cavalier approach pays off at Hove

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Alex Lees, Michael Jones score half-centuries while Graham Clark hits six sixes in 47 off 52

ECB Reporters Network06-Apr-2023New coach Ryan Campbell has pledged that his Durham team would adopt a front-foot approach in the LV= Insurance County Championship and there was early evidence of their intent against Sussex. On a placid pitch at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove, they rattled along at five throughout an absorbing day after being put into bat, closing on 352 for 7 from 70 overs.Michael Jones and Alex Lees laid the foundations with 142 for the first wicket when play began at 1.30pm after morning rain. And although Sussex fought back with seven wickets after tea, Durham maintained their aggressive approach, not least when Ollie Robinson, on his debut following his winter move from Kent, and Graham Clark smashed 61 in eight overs for the fifth wicket.How Sussex could have done with their own Ollie Robinson leading the attack. Instead, Sean Hunt and Henry Crocombe, who took 33 wickets between them last season, shared the new ball and neither they nor the other four bowlers new captain Cheteshwar Pujara had employed by the 22nd over could make much headway against Lees and Jones.Lees may realise that his only way back into the England Test team will be through a more aggressive approach and he needed just 55 balls to bring up his half-century with a pull off Crocombe that brought him a ninth boundary. Jones was a bit more cautious, taking 90 balls for his fifty.So it was a surprise when left-armer George Garton, in his first Championship appearance since last May, found a gap between bat and pad to bowl Lees for 79 in the 29th over. There was little respite for the Sussex attack though, as 6ft 7in Championship debutant Ben McKinney shaped up well. The 18-year-old left-hander, who captained England Under-19s during the winter, found the boundary with his first three scoring shots before hoisting Hunt over long-on for six to bring up the 200 in the 40th over.McKinney (35) was foxed by Crocombe’s slower ball, which he drove to mid-off, and Durham lost their third wicket when David Bedingham was beaten by a lovely away-swinger from Australian Nathan McAndrew, who was making his Sussex debut.Jones had provided the ballast in the innings until he mistimed a pull off Crocombe and spliced a catch to Jack Carson, running round from midwicket, having hit 14 fours in a shade under four hours.Sussex tails were up, but Robinson and Clark counter-attacked with some eye-catching blows. Clark got off the mark by hooking Garton for six before depositing him onto the pavilion roof two balls later. Robinson uppercut Crocombe for six in the next over before Clark took two more sixes off Garton in his next over.Garton, still finding his way back with the red ball after two injury-ravaged seasons, was withdrawn and it proved a shrewd move by Pujara. Offspinner Carson did not get a lot of turn, but he did offer control and broke the stand with a low return catch off Robinson’s firmly-struck on drive.No one epitomised Durham’s approach more than Clark, who hit six sixes in his 47 before McAndrew, Sussex’s most effective seamer, returned down the slope and found enough late inswing to pin him lbw and then had Jonathan Bushnell caught on the boundary to claim his third wicket.Even Brydon Carse, who has only hit ten sixes in his first-class career, cleared the ropes before close, one of ten sixes in the innings so far.

Bushrangers wait on McKay

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Jon Holland has been preferred to Bryce McGain as Victoria’s specialist spinner in the FR Cup game against Western Australia

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009Jon Holland has been preferred to Bryce McGain as Victoria’s specialist spinner in the FR Cup game against Western Australia on Saturday and the Bushrangers are also hopeful of having Clint McKay available in Bunbury. McKay is in Australia’s squad for the second Test against West Indies but should be released on Friday if he is not in the starting XI.Holland, the left-arm spinner, was part of Australia’s one-day squad in India last month, but he did not play a game and when he returned he has had to battle with McGain for action. McGain was dropped following figures of 0 for 43 off five overs in Victoria’s loss to Queensland on Wednesday. Darren Pattinson is also in the 13-man squad that will not be finalised until Saturday morning.Western Australia have Ashley Noffke back and will want to build on their win over New South Wales last week. They thrashed the Blues by 129 runs in the FR Cup before being swept aside in the following Sheffield Shield encounter.Victoria squad Robert Quiney, Chris Rogers, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (wk), Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Jon Holland, Clinton McKay, Darren Pattinson, James Pattinson.Western Australia squad Shaun Marsh, Wes Robinson, Adam Voges (capt), Mitch Marsh, Theo Doropoulos, Luke Ronchi (wk), Justin Coetzee, Aaron Heal, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Michael Hogan, Brad Knowles, Steve Magoffin.

Dean Elgar drinks in return to hundred-scoring form as South Africa make light of batting wobble

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“Maybe from a mental point of view we lacked a little bit, or maybe we don’t trust our technique”

Firdose Moonda04-Jan-2021Dean Elgar helped himself to a little tipple before bed after day one at the Wanderers – something many other South Africans who have failed to stock up would have been envious of as the country navigates its third alcohol ban as part of coronavirus restrictions – but it was not necessarily to soothe his senses.Elgar had gone in on 92 not out, just a couple of shots away from his first Test hundred in 15 months, as well as shouldering the responsibility of steering his side into a strong position after Sri Lanka had mustered just 157 in their first innings.”I had a glass of wine and it made me sleep very well but I’ve been in the nineties overnight in first-class cricket before so it’s not my first time,” Elgar said. “I didn’t feel anything; I didn’t feel anxious. And I woke up nice and early as well thinking I might not wake up to my alarm. But no, I didn’t feel too nervous starting today’s play.”The jitters, if there had been any, had come during the course of the opening day. After racing to 39 off the first 44 balls he faced, Elgar was made to knuckle down, especially against Dasun Shanaka, who teased in the channel outside off and nipped the ball off the seam. Sri Lanka’s attack improved as the first afternoon wore on and they demanded discipline from Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen. Elgar’s next 53 runs took 75 balls.Related

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“We had to absorb a little bit and there were quite a few moments when we went through the gears,” he said. “You have to be able to adapt. You can’t just be batting in one gear and expect to be consistent.”Elgar expected he would have to shift tempo again on day two but it took just 14 balls for him to bring up his 13th Test hundred, becoming the first South African opener to raise his bat to triple figures in 11 home Tests. With the hard work having brought reward and van der Dussen well set, South Africa seemed to be shaping up to bat once – but when Elgar was dismissed off the edge to first slip, it sparked a collapse of 9 for 84 to leave South Africa on 302, a lead of 145. Elgar called the total “quite under-par, especially after that partnership”.Elgar and van der Dussen put on 184 for the second wicket but no other South African stand contributed more than 34 runs (that too involved Elgar with his opening partner Aiden Markram). The inability for the other batsmen to kick on and South Africa’s penchant for collapsing – this was the eighth time in 16 innings they have lost five wickets for less than 50 runs – is something Elgar was willing to interrogate more critically, although he wasn’t sure what is holding them back.”It’s maybe the nature of the pitches we are playing on, especially now. When you come into bat you’ve really got to be on the ball and it shows you how important it is to have batters in. I went out and then Rassie went out which is not ideal.”But maybe from a mental point of view we lacked a little bit, or maybe we don’t trust our technique. We’ve got to take conditions into account. Once you are able to get through that time and respect conditions, you can conquer the conditions. Being our first series at home we have played in a long time, we will address it and take it from there. I think it’s a mental thing and guys need to be made aware of it.”It’s something for South Africa to analyse post-series, around the bonfire, with some tipple for those who indulge. As things stand, South Africa can sleep on a favourable match situation and with a series win in sight, and Elgar warned Sri Lanka that it is the tourists who may need to keep the nightmares at bay.”With covers on the pitch overnight, there’s a bit of moisture and it’s still on top of the grass when we start the day’s play and the wicket deteriorates,” Elgar said. “Hopefully tomorrow morning, the wicket still has sideways movement which has caused quite a bit of trouble and there is still that moisture and deterioration.”